Runaway Minami
by LittleAmberAmethyst
Summary: After a heated fight with his parents which results in Minami not being allowed to skate anymore, Minami runs away to Hasetsu where he begs Yuuri to let him stay. Yuuri and Minami friendship. Light Victuuri.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is going to be multi-chaptered. Maybe three or four.**

 **There are not enough Minami and Yuuri friendship stories, so here is another. There is going to be Victuuri in this story, but it's not the main focus. Some Minami angst ahead.**

* * *

It wasn't unusual for Yu-Topia to receive visitors at late hours. However, it surprised Hiroko Katsuki to see a familiar face standing before her. The young skater who had been invited to the Grand Prix Finals viewing party seven months ago requested a room.

However there were two main differences between this time and last: the first being last time Minami had been invited. And secondly, the vigor she had come to associate with her son's biggest fan (aside from herself and Victor of course) had all vanished. In fact his cheeks and eyes were puffy as if he had been crying not too long ago.

Nevertheless, Kenjirou Minami was still a paying customer. He had requested to stay for a week, although he told her there might be a chance of extending his visit. Minami registered as the resort owner went to retrieve a room key. A glance in the boy's direction he seemed to be preoccupied. A part of her wondered if perhaps meeting Yuuri might be the reason for his odd behavior, but she wouldn't outright ask.

Hiroko returned with a key and handed it to the teenager. Minami slipped the strap of his backpack from his shoulder then unzipped to retrieve his wallet. A peek into the bag she saw it jammed packed with clothes. Minami reached into the separate compartment for the desired item. He selected a debit card then paused for a moment. He bit down on his lip and stored the plastic and sorted through the cash.

The boy lowered his head and mumbled, "I'm afraid I only have enough for one night."

Hiroko tilted her head to the side, "We take cards," she suggested.

The boy jolted. He waved his hands in front of him and exclaimed, "No! No! It's fine. I'll think of something tomorrow." The teenager laughed nervously.

The door opened as Yuuri and Victor entered home from their late practice. Victor laughed about something that had happened at the ice rink that made Yuuri blush and hide his face in embarrassment. The action only made Victor laugh harder and comment how cute his boyfriend was when flustered. The two stopped when they noticed the other skater in the lobby.

"Yuuri!" Minami cheered and waved at his idol.

"Minami, hey, this is a surprise," Yuuri said. "Are you and your family here on vacation?"

Minami squirmed at the mention of his family. "Not-not exactly," he said, his smile slightly fading, an action noticed by Yuuri.

"Are you here for training?" Victor asked.

Minami rubbed at the back of his head, "Umm...something like that."

"Minami, why don't you join Yuuri and Victor for dinner after you get settled," Hiroko offered.

"That's a great idea, we haven't really had a chance to get to know each other," Victor added.

The boy's face lit up at the thought of dinning with Yuuri and Victor. Victor told the teenager their room number. Minami glanced down at the number written on his key to see it wasn't too far from Yuuri's. He then hurried off to find his room.

Yuuri sighed. His muscled ached from practice and he wanted nothing more than to relax in his room with Victor by his side, not having to entertain guests.

"Yuuri," Hiroko called, pulling her son out of his thoughts. "Something's wrong." She quickly explained what happened before they showed up and both men looked at each other in a mix of curiosity and concern.

"So you want us to talk to him?" asked Victor.

"If you would," said Hiroko. "I thought he might be more comfortable if it's just you two."

Half an hour later Minami joined the others in Yuuri's room. Dinner wasn't quite ready yet, and he apologized for arriving early.

"It's fine, Minami, come have a seat," Victor said and waved the boy over.

Minami sat down and Yuuri also noticed the younger male wasn't himself. Although Minami put on a fake smile, he couldn't hide that look in his eyes, one that Yuuri knew too well: worry and despair.

Mari entered with a tray of steaming green tea and a bowl of katsudon for each person in the room. She placed a cup in front of each guest. She then passed out the meals which Victor and Yuuri readily accepted. Minami however just stared at the glistening pork cutlet bowl.

"So what brings you out to Hatsetsu?" Yuuri asked.

Minami jumped and looked up to meet the concerned eyes o his idol. He shifted and folded his hands into his lap.

"I can't really say," Minami finally admitted.

Yuuri nodded, but said no more on the subject. Instead he asked, "How long will you be staying?"

Minami shrugged. He slighly shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself to pretend it was the night chill that brought on the shivering. Yuuri looked over at Victor who held the bowl in his hand, but kept his gaze on the youngest person in the room.

"Yuuri," Minami said quietly. "Can...can I ask you a favor?"

"Oh, um...okay," Yuuri said.

Minami looked down at his lap. He gripped at his pant legs.

"Can...can I stay here?" Minami asked. "Just for a while, please." His lip quivered. "I'll earn my keep, I promise."

Yuuri stared open-mouthed at the boy. He scratched at his head. "Well, that's not really my choice to make. I'll have to ask my mom and dad."

Minami nodded.

After a pause Yuuri said, "But you'll have to tell me why."

"I-I can't," Minami said quietly.

"Look, I can't help you if you don't," Yuuri replied.

Minami slumped. "I don't have anywhere else to go," he confessed.

"What about your family?" Victor asked.

Minami shook his head. "I kind of," he said and tapped his fingers together. "I kind of ran away." He heard Yuuri gasp and Victor hum. "My parents won't allow me to skate anymore." He lifted his head and looked them in the eyes. "And I'm not going back until they change their minds!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to midnightsky0612, dododoobird, and yukichicken for your reviews on the first chapter. I much appreciate them. :)**

 **All I could find on Minami's family is that both his parents are doctors and he has an older brother who is also studying to be a doctor. Therefore I had a lot of room for creativity as far as his family member's names and personalities.**

* * *

Yuuri stood speechless for a moment. Once he realized his ears heard Minami's words correctly he looked over at Victor then back to the younger boy.

"You ran away?" Yuuri asked just to clarify.

The teenager nodded. "Last night," he said. "I rode the bus here." The transportation fare along with what he bought to eat on the way had used up a good chunk of the allowance money he had saved up.

Yuuri was baffled to say the least. Based on his fan's personality he'd never expect the kid to have home troubles. He frowned at the thought that the reason Minami often wore a smile was to hide the pain. After the thought crossed his mind he hoped that wasn't the case.

"Why'd you come all the way out here?" Victor asked.

"I was going to go to my coach's house, but that be the first place they'd look," Minami explained. "And all my friends' parents would take me back home, or call my parents to pick me up." He twiddled his thumbs. "So the next person I thought of was you."

Minami glanced up through his bangs at his idol who wore a countenance of concern.

Yuuri sighed. He already knew when he told his parents the reason they wouldn't be so keen to let him to stay unless Minami was being harmed in some way. Again he hoped that wasn't the case.

Plus it didn't make sense that his parents would suddenly force their son to stop skating. From what Minami told Hiroko back in December they were proud to watch his performances on television due to their work not allowing them the chance to view them live. In addition his parents paid for all his skating expenses, which made the decision even more confusing.

"What are you thinking?" Minami asked Yuuri as he noticed his idol had gone silent and lost in thought.

"You're parents don't know you're here, do they?" Yuuri finally asked.

Minami shook his head. "That's why I can't pay with a card," he explained. "They'd trace it and find me."

Yuuri folded his hands on the table. "Minami, you're asking a lot," he said. "I won't lie, I don't think my mom and dad will let it happen. You're a minor and your parents are probably out looking for you."

The boy flinched. Yuuri said no more and let the words linger for a bit. He wanted to help his acquaintance, but couldn't put his family or their business in jeopardy.

"Why won't they let you skate anymore?" Victor asked catching the attention of both Minami and Yuuri.

Minami lowered his head and mumbled something neither of the other two could make out.

"Could you repeat that," said Victor.

Minami twirled his chopsticks in the katsudon bowl. Without making eye contact with either of the two older men he said, "I failed too many subjects." He tightened his fist and accidentally snapped one of the chopsticks. The two pieces fell on the table. The whole one landed beside it and rolled off the table onto the floor next to Minami's right leg.

Minami placed his fists on the table and hung his head even lower. "If I don't pass everything next semester I'll be held back for sure." His voice wavered. "I won't graduate." Warm tears pooled in his eyes. "My dad said..." Minami sniffed and wiped away a falling tear. "He said skating's interfering with my studies and I can't compete this season."

The room went silent for a moment.

Minami ignored the grumbling in his belly for the nausea caused by knowing his idol and said idol's lover stared down at him. Even more he remembered the last conversation he had with his parents hours before he made the decision to leave home.

 _"I'm home!"Kenjirou shouted as he entered the apartment. He threw off his shoes at the door along with his backpack which contained his skates, wallet, and a water bottle. Just as he unzipped his jacket he heard footsteps approaching the foyer._

 _The teenager hung up his coat on the rack. His father's tall shadow engulfed him causing the boy to turn. The usual warm greeting was replaced by a frown, a look his father rarely used, only when he was in trouble. A quick glimpse at the older man's hand Minami recognized the paper and his stomach flipped, already knowing he was in for a lecture._

 _"Kenjirou, will you join me in the family room?" Soma Minami said. And although he formed it as a request, the tone proved otherwise._

 _Slowly Minami made his way to the living room. His mother, Michiru, already sat on the couch, and her husband joined her. With a slight pout Kenjirou sat in the chair across from the occupied couch._

 _That was not the first time he had been in that very situation. Throughout his life he had put other things ahead of his studies which often led to a lecture and punishment from his parents. In the end he always managed to pass his grade. However with this year being his last Minami wanted to enjoy being a teenager before his eighteenth birthday rolled around in August._

 _"Kenjirou, you are almost an adult, please explain why I'm still having to scold you about your grades," Soma said with a calm demeanor, yet the words still laced in anger._

 _The teenager shrugged._

 _Soma opened up the folded report card and handed it to his son. Kenjirou gingerly accepted it and looked over the number of failed grades._

 _"This is your worst report card to date," Soma said. He pushed his glasses back on his face. "To say I'm disappointed is an understatement."_

 _Minami hung his head._

 _However his father wasn't finished. "I also got a letter from your counselor." He held up the note and also handed it over for his son to read. "If you don't pass everything next semester you can count on being held back." His volume rose just the slightest, but enough to frighten Kenjirou. "That means you won't graduate."_

 _Kenjirou crumpled the sides of the letter. He recalled the meeting with his counselor at the beginning of last semester. He explained in full enthusiasm his dream of becoming a world renowned figure skater backed up with the evidence he had already won a few medals, and was somewhat of a regional celebrity. When the counselor brought up the subject of his lackluster grades Minami waved off her concerns with his ambitions didn't require academic success. Thankfully she had not included that in her letter to his dad, but there was no doubt those words were in the back of her mind while typing up her concerns._

 _However, even though he had no intention of attending college, he still knew how important it was to his family that at least he graduate high school. They accepted their youngest son would never graduate with honors, but a diploma would be enough. From the looks of it now that minor goal that meant the world to his family seemed far out of reach._

 _"Have you even begun your summer homework?" Michiru asked._

 _The flinch answered that question._

 _Kenjirou usually waited until a week before school started up again to rush through the homework. He did the bare minimum, but it was enough to please his teachers; he had long given up on trying to impress them._

 _With this being his last summer as a teenager he wanted to enjoy it to the full extent. He practiced skating every morning with his coach then after returning home to change his clothes and a quick lunch, he rushed out to meet up with his friends._

 _"Kenjirou, you don't seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation, so we are going to make you understand," said Soma. He looked over at his wife who nodded then said to his son, "Your mother and I discussed it and we agreed that this semester you will focus only on your studies."_

 _Kenjirou sighed and nearly rolled his eyes when the realization of what his father meant hit him._

 _"Wait! But-but the season starts next semester," the boy argued._

 _"You will not be participating this season," said Michiru._

 _Minami jumped up. "You can't do this to me!" he cried. His lips quivered and tears formed. "I'm a skater. This is my life."_

 _Soma narrowed his eyes, but also stood, not taking his gaze off his son. Kenjirou winced at the sight of his father towering over him._

 _"We didn't want it to be this way, but you've given us no other choice," Soma replied. "Skating will have to take the back seat for now. You need to pass every subject with high scores, not your usual mediocre ones, or you won't graduate."_

 _"I don't care," Kenjirou spat and crossed his arms. "So what if it takes a little longer for me to graduate? I'm not going to be like you or Ryuki." He placed his hand against his chest. "I'm going to be a professional skater."_

 _"And what if you get injured?" Michiru asked as she stood. She pushed by her husband and stared dirctly in the eyes of her son, their heights being the exact same. "What if you don't make it? You need something to fall back on."_

 _The tears broke through the barrier at his mother's last statement. Too long they assured him they supported his endevours, but now he couldn't be sure._

 _"In that case," said Soma as he adjusted his glasses. "If you don't graduate, you can forget skating altogether."_

 _Soma walked past Kenjirou. The boy heard the sound of a zipper and instantly recognized it as his backpack. He rushed for the foyer and gasped at the sight of his father holding his ice skates._

 _"You will get these back when you bring home a decent report card," Soma stated._

 _"You can't," Kenjirou croaked._

 _Soma glared at his son, daring him to argue further. The head of the household walked off to his bedroom where the skates would be locked away at least until December. By the time Soma returned Kenjirou was openly sobbing. His mother tried to put a comforting hand on him, but he pushed her away._

 _Kenjirou looked up at his parents and whispered, "I hate you," then ran off to his room._

 _Kenjirou stayed in his room for the rest of the day. He stopped crying after an hour and instead laid on the bed staring up at the ceiling. He glanced over at the packet of homework on his desk. He reached over and knocked the papers to the floor before rolling on his side._

 _He couldn't imagine a life without skating. Ever since he was six he had been on the ice._

 _Brown eyes landed on a framed photograph of his junior division win. He held up the gold medal and his brother Ryuki had an arm around him, both smiling at the camera. That was the last competition Ryuki got to attend before he began premedical school the following semester._

 _A part of him wanted to smash the frame on the floor, but he knew it wasn't his brother's fault. In the back of his mind Minami knew he had no one to blame for his situation but himself._

 _As long as he lived in his parents' house he'd have to abide by their rules. If only he could go somewhere else..._

 _Minami's eyes lit up as the perfect solution presented itself._

 _That night he waited an hour after his parents went to sleep to open the door. He crept over to his parent's bedroom and slowly turned the doorknob. He held his breath and waited a few seconds to hear the snores of his father and hums of his mother._

 _The head full of a mess of blond and red poked inside. He glanced around the room wondering where his dad had stashed his skates. The most obvious option was the closet._

 _With his lungs holding onto a captured breath Minami tiptoed into the room. He expected his parents to wake at any moment due to the sound of his racing heart. They'd see his shadow before him. If he was caught he'd be in worse trouble._

 _The teenager snuck over to the closet and pushed the door open. He pushed aside a few garments, feeling around for the skates. A belt slipped down from the railing and the buckle slammed against the floor. Minami clamped a hand over his mouth. His father's snores abruptly switched to a sharp snort and ceased. Minami slowly turned his head expecting to see his mother, father, or both glaring in his direction. Both were still sound asleep; moments later the snoring continued._

 _Minami slowly let out a breath. He turned back to the closet wondering if he should abandon his precious skates. Minami threw away that thought and resumed his mission. After a few minutes of paranoid searching he realized the skates were not in the closet._

 _The next thought was to check the dresser. He tiptoed around the bed close to his mother's side. With another deep breath he crouched down opened the bottom drawer, the deepest and the only one of the four large enough to house ice skates. Minami's eyes lit up at the sight of his most prized possession stored next to a few slacks and jeans._

 _Minami pulled the first skate out. The side scraped against the drawer. His eyes widened at the sound of moaning and blankets shifting. With a pounding heart he turned to see Michiru turn over on her side, but didn't wake. He let out a sigh of relief and put a hand over his stinging heart. Fortunately his parents would be able to revive him if he did have a heart attack, although he wondered if he'd even want that option._

 _He looked over at his sleeping parents and regretted telling them he hated them, he hadn't meant it. He debated with the idea of putting the skates back in the drawer and going back to his room, forgetting the whole plan. The reminder that he wouldn't be able to skate again until he was nineteen made that decision for him. He was in his prime and forfeiting a season would be too major a blow to his career._

 _Carefully he secured the second skate and hurriedly tip toed out of the room. He shut the door behind him then rushed off to his own room. He shoved his skates in his backpack then jammed the rest with what clothes he could fit. In the end he only managed to pack five outfits, but would be enough once he found somewhere to stay that had a washing machine. He picked up a few more items including the framed photograph of himself and Ryuki at the junior men's figure skating championship. His jacket on his arms with his wallet in one pocket and his keys and phone in the other._

 _As he made his way to the door he stopped and scribbled on a sticky note:_ I'll be back when you change your minds. -Kenjirou.

 _Minami shut the door behind him and started on his trek away from the only home he had ever known. A part of his brain kept pleading him to go back and beg his parents for forgiveness. He quickly shut those thoughts up knowing that now no one could determine his future but himself._

 _He stopped a few blocks away from his house. The few passing cars filled him with a temporary fear that his mom or dad would be in the driver's seat, but each one passed on without a glance in his direction._

 _For a moment he wondered where he headed. He considered going to stay with his coach, but she'd certainly notify his parents and he'd be in even worse trouble come morning. Minami dropped the backpack on the sidewalk. Where exactly could he go? Everyone he knew would turn him in the moment he arrived. It wasn't too late to sneak back into his apartment._

 _The boy wondered what Yuuri Katsuki would do in his situation. He gasped and eyes lit up at the thought of his idol. He was on good terms with Yuuri's mother who wouldn't turn him away, especially if he pretended to be a customer. Hopefully Yuuri would be there too, if anyone knew what to do it would be him._

 _With a plan in mind Minami picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. He walked in the direction of the bus station. It would take a while to reach Hasetsu, but that made it even better. His parents wouldn't think to check there._

Minami looked up at his host and his boyfriend. "So will you help me?" he asked with hope glimmering in those brown eyes.

"Wait," Yuuri said and held up a hand. "You're failing your grade and your first thought was to run away?"

Minami nodded.

Yuuri sighed. "Minami, I'm sorry, but you need to go home."

The boy's expression fell. "Were you even listening to what I said?" he cried.

"Yes, and you're making a terrible mistake," Yuuri replied.

"Who's side are you on?" the teenager yelled.

"Look, I know it isn't what you want to hear, but your education is important," the older skater retorted.

"You were skating at my age," Minami argued.

"And I made sure to study between practices," Yuuri responded.

"To be fair, I never cared too much about my studying either," Victor said as he stared up at the ceiling with a smile on his face and finger under his chin.

"Victor," Yuuri snapped and glared at his boyfriend.

Victor nervously laughed with his hands out in front of him. "I mean, Yuuri's right," he quickly replied.

The twenty-four-year-old shook his head then returned his attention to Minami. "You can't shirk your schoolwork for skating. And your mother is correct. That's why I went to college, just incase professional skating didn't work out."

"I never gave much thought to any other career," Victor mused.

Yuuri elbowed his boyfriend in the ribs.

"I'm sorry I thought you could help me," Minami said as he stood.

He fled from the room trying to keep from crying in front of his idol a second time. Yuuri looked over at Victor who motioned for the former to go after him. With a sigh Yuuri jumped to his feet and followed after the younger skater.

* * *

 **I did some research before writing this chapter on how the Japanese school year works as it is different from the typical school year in my country.**

 **Minami strikes me as the person who doesn't care very much for school. His talents rest in skating, dancing, and other creative and athletic works, and just doesn't care much for a classroom setting.**

 **I hope you all like this chapter. :)**


	3. Important Note

**Someone pointed out that this story is extremely similar to Free! Eternal Summer episode five. That was not intentional. I watched Eternal Summer back in 2015, and had actually forgotten about that episode. I actually came up with this idea while shopping at Kohl's one weekend (weird, I know).**

 **About an hour ago I rewatched that episode only to find out this story and that episode are almost identical, even though it wasn't intended. For that reason I'm either going to need to come up with an entire different reason for Minami to run away, or I'm going to have to delete this story, as it was not my intention to rip off that episode of Free! Eternal Summer.**

 **If I can't think of anything within the week this story will be taken down. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to share them. I apologize to those who have enjoyed reading, but due to this conflict, I'm going to have to remove it. I thank you all for understanding. And thank you to Yaz Queen for bringing this to my attention.**


End file.
